BAD LUCK BLAMED IN DRUG-ALLEY SHOOTING

A Toronto man was in a city hospital after being shot early yesterday in a
downtown alley that local residents say is frequented by drug dealers.

But police say there's no indication at this point that the shooting was
drug-or gang-related. Instead, they're investigating it as the attempted
murder of a stranger.

Police say the 22-year-old man, whom they would not identify, was in town
to visit a friend.

He was shot as he and the friend walked through an alley between 103 and
104 streets around 3:40 a.m., moments after they left Cristal, a nightclub
at 10336 Jasper Ave.

"They were walking in the lane when a couple of shots rang out," said
police spokesman Kelly Gordon. "One of these guys was hit in the wrist and
the back. There's no information to indicate the victim knew the shooter."

Police are working on the theory the shots may have come from a car and
were looking for either a grey 1990s Pontiac Bonnyville or a maroon 1990s
Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

They also have several witnesses to interview.

The victim was in fair condition last night at the Royal Alexandra hospital.

A nearby apartment resident, who asked to not be identified, wasn't
surprised by the shooting and noted the alley is a popular spot for drug
sales.

"I was just getting ready to go to bed and I heard five shots," said the
man. "I looked out the window and I heard this guy say, 'I've been hit,
I've been hit.'

"And then I see this big black guy kneeling down by the dumpster and making
a call on his cell phone."

He said he thought the man behind the dumpster was the one hit but police
said the man was a witness who dialled 911.

"I turned the light out right away because I know a gunshot when I hear one
and I didn't want to attract any attention," the man said. "There's lots of
guys back there selling narcotics all the time and I don't want those guys
seeing me."

The resident said local youth gangs typically use the alley for deals.
There was a handful hanging around last night.

"They pull up in their fancy sports cars and they hang around at that club.
They're back there all the time," he said.

Police later combed the apartment building to ask questions, said resident
Kay Forysinski, who was awakened by the shots and let cops into the building.

Though it doesn't appear connected, the shooting is the latest in a string
of drive-by shootings downtown that have worried police, said Gordon,
including two last weekend that have been tied to gangs and drugs.

Copyright (c) 1998, Canoe Limited Partnership.

Checked-by: Pat Dolan